By Ryan Mink
rmink@digialsports.com
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Despite being a senior, Holy Cross’ Carly Sullivan saw very little action for most of the field hockey season.
Nevertheless, Holy Cross Coach Candy Thurman thought Sullivan would be the perfect player to insert into a defensive scoreless struggle in double overtime. And with that, an unlikely hero got her chance.
Sullivan knocked in the game-winning goal Wednesday in the WCAC field hockey semifinals, lifting Holy Cross to a 1-0 win over Good Counsel, who beat the Tartans in the past two WCAC championship games.
“It just came to me and I just turned around and dished it in,†a somewhat still-stunned Sullivan. “I didn’t even think that it was over yet. I just didn’t even know.â€
Holy Cross will now face Elizabeth Seton in the championship game Saturday at 6 p.m. at the University of Maryland. Holy Cross and Elizabeth Seton split their regular season series.
“For short snippets to have her up there, it’s fantastic,†Thurman said of Sullivan, who scored with 4 minutes, 44 seconds left in the second overtime. “So for the overtime we were like, ‘Put her in there.’ And she was ready.â€
Sullivan has always been fun and energetic, one of those players that every team loves to have. But there just wasn’t a set roll for her. That was until two weeks ago when she caught fire shooting during practice. Thurman noticed she had quick reflexes and good attacking instincts.
“She’s just a good gamer,†Thurman said. “She’s just excited and she’s fast.â€
After beating Good Counsel twice during the regular season, the Tartans tied Elizabeth Seton in at the end of the regular season. A coin flip, which Holy Cross lost, put the Tartans and Good Counsel on a road to face each other in the semifinals.
Despite losing to the Falcons the past two years, Holy Cross was happy to be facing Good Counsel this year. And the rivalry was even more intense this year from the start.
As Good Counsel’s players excited their bus, the Tartans noticed that the Falcons brought with them last year’s WCAC championship trophy. The trophy resided behind Good Counsel’s bench for the remainder of the game and was even carried out onto the field with the Falcons during halftime.
“We were like, ‘Oh my gosh, what are they doing?’†senior Hayley Katzenberger said. “We were all talking about it. That just made us want to beat them more that they would bring their trophy.â€
As if the Tartans didn’t notice the trophy, Thurman made sure to point it out before the game started.
“That gives us, I think, a little extra motivation,†Thurman said.
Long after the game ended, the trophy still sat on a card table in front of the scoreboard. Thurman didn’t want to touch it before it was rightfully hers. And that won’t be decided until Sunday.
“I wouldn’t take it regardless of who it belongs to because the perception may be that we’re going to get it,†Thurman said.
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